Mike Dodds expressed delight in Sunderland’s second-half performance following their 2-1 win over West Brom in his debut game as temporary head coach.
Jobe Bellingham’s early goal was erroneously called out for offside, but Dodds agreed West Brom had too much control in the first half. Dan Ballard and Dan Neil scored twice in the second half, and despite Brandon Thomas-Asante’s late header, Sunderland deserved to win.
Dodds also hinted that Bellingham, who impressed on his return to the starting XI, could stay up front against Leeds United.
“The guys were saying his goal early on was onside,” Dodds said of Bellingham.
“We have the privilege of being able to use a lot of resources, clips, data – all those sorts of things. Jobe had a goal at QPR that was chalked off, one today that was chalked off. He arguably should have scored at Leicester, he could have scored against Birmingham and Ipswich. What that shows is that he has a real knack of being in the right place at the right time, and I don’t think you can coach that. What we have to do is just tidy those bits up.
“I’ve had the privilege of coaching him from a very young age, and I watched him playing as a striker pretty much up until the U14s. It wasn’t until he got a bit older that his position changed.
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“I’m not saying he’s a number nine, just that he’s a player who has a knack of breaking the box and who can naturally find space in the box. The reality is that for an 18-year-old, with a bit of luck he could have almost double figures to his name this season. We’ll see what Tuesday brings but as I’ve said before, the reality is I could play him anywhere on the pitch and he’d perform.”
“Potentially [difficult to go again in a couple of days time], but you stand next to him… he’s got a unique body for an 18-year-old. We’ll see how the next 48 hours go, we’ve done most of our prep in terms of how we’ll set up against Leeds United but we’ll see how the next couple of games go and make a decision from there.”
Dodds said he urged his side to be braver at the half-time interval and was pleased with their response, the points taking them back into sixth ahead of the 3pm kick offs. “I’m a perfectionist and I want to have complete control of the game, I didn’t like elements of the first half where they had too much control of the ball, albeit without hurting us too much,” he said.
“I think they played through us and our shape a little too much. The second half I think is a Sunderland team regardless of who is in charge. Youthful, on the front foot, turning the game into 1-v-1 both attacking and defending. Being brave in and out of possession, the second half for me is a Sunderland team.”
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